Consumers Energy today (June 26) announced major progress in its milestone commitment to expanding customer renewable energy options to more Michiganders. Michigan's largest energy provider launched "Green Giving" earlier this year. The one-of-a-kind program allows everyone to contribute to our sustainable energy future.
"Green Giving" saves income qualified customers money and provides access to the financial and environmental benefits from renewable energy projects with the help of community sponsored dollars. It means that regardless of income or location, customers can count on Consumers Energy and each other to be part of our energy future.
"Green Giving is a game-changer! We're thrilled to empower our most vulnerable customers with access to sustainable energy products which will enable cost savings. Together, we're making Michigan's energy future brighter for everyone," said Lauren Snyder, Consumers Energy's senior vice president, chief customer and growth officer.
Here's how it works:
- The company utilizes sponsored dollars from those wanting to help fund low-income customer subscriptions tied to our projects.
- Consumers Energy, alongside our community-based organization agency partners, enrolls eligible customers to subscribe to renewable resources.
- Those resources then generate clean electricity, which is sold back into the grid.
- Then, the value we receive from renewable energy sales, gets passed along to those customers enrolled in "Green Giving" through a direct line-item credit on their bills of $10-$20/month.
Whether you're a homeowner or a renter, anyone with an income of 200% or lower of the federal poverty level Consumers Energy is working to get you enrolled in programs that will help you reduce your energy use, save money, and protect the planet.
Consumers Energy so far has enrolled over 2,828 customers in the program through its My Personalized Offerings tool and automatic enrollment for eligible customers. Of those enrollments, nearly 12% are in environmental justice communities, which are those communities identified as most in need. Consumers Energy is working to expand eligibility for the program in the future to serve even more Michiganders.
Based on enrollments to date, 7,739 MWh of clean energy will be generated for the program, which, based on EPA calculations is equal to:
- 320,132,988 smartphones charged
- 1,590 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled
- 4,515 acres of U.S forests in one year
- 506,443 gallons of gasoline consumed
For those interested in participating or to see what other offerings they may be eligible for, customers can visit consumersenergy.com/myoffer.
Consumers Energy is Michigan's largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com.
